The Uses of Force on Spaceship Earth: Revolution and Intervention in the '70's. A Study Guide.

Rivera, Charles R.; And Others

The relationship between internal revolution and subsequent intervention by a foreign power is examined in this guide book for senior high students. Why nations pursue a policy of military intervention and what other alternatives are available are two major questions investigated. Intervention and non-intervention are both determined policies that require evaluation of a given nation's political, economic, social, and ideological outlook before its commitment to a position. Case studies illustrating the progression of intervention from the 1947 Truman containment policy to more recent times are presented on Greece, Korea, Lebanon, the Dominican Republic, Bolivia, Czechoslovakia, and Biafra. A large number of conflicts are domestic in origin, arise out of specific incidents and disputes, stem from border security apprehension, are not decisively influenced by considerations of power balance, occur more frequently to defend governments, and occur when the international rule book is unclear. These factors suggest that one of the most important means of securing a more peaceful community can be the establishment of effective machinery for the management of crisis situations to limit conflict. (SJM)